Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) premier spinner Harbhajan Singh will not travel with the franchise to the UAE on Friday for the Indian Premier League(IPL) 2020 edition. He had also not joined the team’s training camp in Chennai which is being attended by MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and other CSK players.
As per reports, Harbhajan Singh’s mother is ill so the veteran has decided not to travel. Also, some reports have stated that the spinner would join the team in the UAE within two weeks.
However, as of now, the 40-year-old has not reached Chennai from where the whole CSK will be travelling to the UAE ahead of the commencement of the tournament.
Harbhajan Singh last played in IPL 2019 grand-finale:
Notably, Harbhajan has not played a competitive match since the IPL 2019 grand-finale against Mumbai Indians. CSK faced defeat in that marquee clash by one run. He has, so far, played 160 IPL matches and has picked 150 wickets at an average of 26.45.
Harbhajan Singh joined CSK in 2018:
CSK bagged Harbhajan Singh’s service after Mumbai Indians’ released the player ahead of the 2018 edition. He is now the mainstay for the yellow army.
The right-arm spinner made a significant contribution to the franchise’s win in IPL 2018. Although he has lost his knack of picking quick wickets, he helps the team to control the run rate. Thus, the Chennai-based franchise might miss the Punjab-born cricketer for the much-awaited edition.
Meanwhile, the pacer Shardul Thakur joined the squad on Wednesday, August 19 even as the allrounder Ravindra Jadeja is expected to arrive in the city on Thursday, August 20.
The IPL 2020 is scheduled to start on September 19 with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah being the venues. The 60 matches tournament will be a 53-day affair with the final to take place on November 10. This would be a special edition for the CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who had recently announced his retirement from international cricket.